The present invention relates generally to an information processing apparatus capable of being additionally provided with a functional component such as a memory card, and more particularly to a structure of a receptacle for receiving the functional component.
There is known a "book-type" or "notebook-type" portable computer which can be additionally provided with a memory card for increasing a memory capacity. This type of portable computer has a box-shaped housing body. The housing body has a bottom wall and a peripheral wall continuous with the bottom wall. A circuit board is provided within the housing body. The circuit board faces the bottom wall of the housing body, and a card receptacle for removably receiving the memory card is formed between the circuit board and the bottom wall. The card receptacle has an opening portion for access to the memory card. This opening portion is open to the bottom wall of the housing body. The opening portion of the card receptacle is covered with a detachable cover. The cover is fixed to the bottom wall of the housing body by means of a plurality of screws. The memory card is hidden by this cover.
The circuit board has a bottom surface facing the opening portion. The bottom surface of the circuit board serves also as a ceiling of the card receptacle. The bottom surface of the circuit board is covered with an insulating sheet. A sealing material is adhered to the insulating sheet. The sealing material is formed of a soft material such as sponge and surrounds the opening portion. The sealing material is interposed between the circuit board and the bottom wall. Thus, the card receptacle is partitioned from the inside of the housing body by means of the insulating sheet and the sealing material. Even if a screw is accidentally dropped into the card receptacle while the cover is being removed from the housing body by turning the screw out of its place, this screw is received by the insulating sheet or sealing material and the screw stays in the card receptacle. Accordingly, the screw does not enter the housing body, and an undesired short-circuit or line breakage due to the screw can be prevented.
In the meantime, the performance of modern portable computers have greatly developed. In particular, the processing speed of CPUs mounted in the computers tends to increase more and more. With such an increase in processing speed of the CPUs, the power consumption of the CPUs increases and accordingly the amount of heat generated by the CPUs increases. Such a CPU is mounted on the circuit board and contained within the housing body. Thus, when the CPU with a great amount of heat emission is contained within the housing body, it is necessary to improve the ventilation of the inside of the housing body and to enhance the radiation performances of the CPU and circuit board.
There is a conventional method for enhancing the heat radiation of the CPU. In this method, the circuit board is provided with a heat sink through which heat of the CPU is naturally radiated to the inside of the housing body. In particular, in the case of a computer equipped with a CPU with a large heat emission, a motor fan is situated at a location adjacent to the heat sink. The motor fan forcibly feeds a cooling air to the surrounding of the heat sink.
As has been described above, the computer which can be additionally provided with the memory card has the card receptacle within the housing body. The card receptacle is defined as an independent chamber partitioned by the sealing material from the inside of the housing body. When air is let to flow within the housing body in order to improve the ventilation of the inside of the housing body, the air flow circumvents the card receptacle.
Consequently, the presence of the card receptacle disturbs the air flow within the housing body. In addition, the presence of the card receptacle makes irregular the distribution of air flow and makes it difficult to efficient flow the air in a wide area within the housing body. As a result, the ventilation of the inside of the housing body deteriorates, and heat may stay near the card receptacle or heat radiation of the CPU and/or circuit board becomes deficient.